Canada will get its own production of The Producers, the smash Mel Brooks musical, beginning Nov. 18, 2003, at the Canon Theatre in Toronto.

"After many months of consultation with the award winning creative team" of the Tony Award-winning hit based on Brooks' 1968 film, Toronto producers David and Ed Mirvish announced the start date of the musical's Canadian premiere engagement. The Canon is the new name of the Pantages Theatre, the restored, opulent nest where The Phantom of the Opera roosted for many years in Toronto.

The plan for The Producers in Toronto had been previously announced, but this is the first confirmation of dates — and confirmation that the run was not a stop on a tour, but a resident creation of the show, with a Canadian cast.

"We are very happy to secure dates for director choreographer Susan Stroman and her team to work on the Toronto production of The Producers," David Mirvish said in a statement. "We look forward to casting, rehearsing and building the show here."

Casting for the Canadian production will begin early in 2003, with rehearsals scheduled to start in September. Single tickets are expected to go on sale in March 2003. If history is anything, the run will last at least a year at the Canon. The Mirvishes are known for their long-running shows and for their commitment to making Toronto one of the world's major theatre destinations. The Mel Brooks musical about a corrupt impresario who cooks up a scheme to raise too much money to produce a flop (and pocket the rest) continues at the St. James Theatre on Broadway, and in its first touring production. A second national tour begins in June 2003, followed by what will be the fourth North American staging in Toronto.

Susan Stroman directs and choreographs. Mel Brooks co wrote the book with Thomas Meehan. Music and lyrics are by Mel Brooks.